Abstract
Novel 9-aminoimidazo[1,2-a:5,4-b']dipyridine-6,8-dicarbonitriles were prepared via the Michael addition reaction of readily accessible 2-(3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyrid-2-yl)acetonitrile with arylidenemalononitriles. The regioselectivity of the reaction was supported by theoretical calculations at the DFT level. In contrast, the reaction of the appropriate bis-arylidenemalononitrile with 2-(3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyrid-2-yl)acetonitrile under similar reaction conditions gave the corresponding bis[2-(3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyrid-2-yl)acrylonitriles].
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